Fast-swimming molluscs with large eyes, eight arms and two long tentacles. Many move by jet propulsion, hunt by sight, and can squirt ink to confuse predators.
Quick answers
What is it?Mollusc
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?Can be
The Humboldt squid is big enough to endanger divers, and its beak can cause serious cuts.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
Many squid rise toward the surface at night; the Humboldt squid moves from deep water by day to the surface by night.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?Yes
Squid are caught for food by commercial fisheries in Japan, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, the Pacific and elsewhere.
At a glance
Found inOceans
HabitatOpen ocean, Coast
ColoursRed, White
SizeMedium
Legs10
Covered inSkin
Lives ingroups
Lives for1–5 years
Can swim
Lays eggs
In the wild
- What it eats
- Fish and other open-water prey, grabbed with the two tentacles and held with the eight arms.
Did you know
The giant squid's eyes, at least 27 cm across, are among the largest of any animal.
The giant squid’s eyes, at least 27 cm across, are the largest of any living animal except perhaps the colossal squid’s.
Often confused with
- Octopus
A squid has eight arms plus two long tentacles and a small internal “pen” for support. An octopus has eight arms and no tentacles.
Compare side by side - Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish, squid and octopuses are cephalopods; the cuttlefish has an internal cuttlebone.
Compare side by side
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